Nighttime Musings
by Tango Mike Charlie
Summary: Post-ep fic for 5x15 ("Target") and 5x16 ("Hunt"). HUGE SPOILERS for those eps in specific and season 5 in general. The title says it all.
1. Castle's POV

**REMEMBER: post-ep fic for 5x15 ("Target") and 5x16 ("Hunt"), so HUGE SPOILERS for those eps in specific and season 5 in general.**

**A/N: It's been way too long since I wrote a fic (or anything at all, really). So I kind of pushed myself to write this one. I hope it turned out ok, even if it is fairly short. It's a two-parter (fitting for a two-parter-post-ep-fic, I thought).**

**Disclaimer: it's been a while, but I still don't own any of them… **

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**Chapter 1: Castle's POV**

A dad.

He had a dad. Well, he always knew he had a dad, but up until now, he had imagined him to be whatever he wanted him to be at that particular moment in time: an astronaut, a magician, a cook, a doctor, a fireman, a spy.

A spy.

No more imagining. It was confirmed. His dad was a spy, a really good one from the looks of it. He had managed to keep track of them without them ever knowing. All those pictures of Alexis; he figured his dad had had someone make copies, but he didn't recognize half of those pictures. Turns out, his dad had been there to take all those pictures himself. He'd been so close and yet, so far, never making his presence known.

To protect them, he had said. Well, look how that had turned out. An angry flash washed over his features, as he remembered how he had finally met him. But not for long; he was too eager to know more about this man, who had apparently been following him his whole life.

And there was the problem. He didn't know if he would ever get another chance at getting to know him. Now that he knew who his father was, he wanted to catch up, get to know him, have him meet Alexis and who knows… Martha. But he knew his dad would not be able to do that and still do his job properly. It would probably get him or one of them killed, like it almost did this time.

Luckily he could talk about it with Alexis and - as of a couple of hours ago - also his mom and Kate. Martha had turned silent and retreated after a short while, probably to contemplate things. Kate had lovingly held his hand as he recounted the few precious hours he had been able to spend with his dad, never interrupting, knowing he needed to tell the story. Then, when Alexis had gone to bed, Kate had taken his hand and led him to his bed.

And that's where he was now. Lying on his back, Kate's arm draped possessively over him, giving him that still new feeling of being safe. That nothing or no one could hurt him, as long as she was there. The way she had enthusiastically greeted him when he came back and made him promise to never do something like that again without her... she was saying she missed him and even though he had been a bit preoccupied, she had never completely left his thoughts either. It was just something he had to do and she would not have been able to help, because she needed to follow the rules. He needed her to follow the rules. So at least one of them would be there to take care of Alexis if something went wrong. And it could have gone wrong in so many ways. His count for facing the wrong end of a gun had increased exponentially these last days.

A shudder ran over him as he recounted staring at that gun in the woods, flinching when he heard those bullets fly, but never feeling a bullet hit. Kate must have felt his shudder for she tightened her hold on him, without even waking up. He glanced over to his side, where her head was resting on his shoulder. He bent his neck and softly touched his lips to her hair. That seemed to reassure her and her grip relaxed again.

The second threat hadn't felt as scary, as he had known what was coming, but still, the guy could have shot him before his dad had had a chance to blow him up. He hadn't quite realized it at the time, but on both near-death occasions, he now remembered thinking he could not die, was not supposed to die, as it would be the end of Kate. She would not be able to take another loss like that. And believing he was going to see her again was what gave him hope. Hope, that he would find Alexis. Hope, that he'd be able to rescue her.

He'd never once imagined he would find his father as well, but he was glad he did. So far, he was not disappointed, other than he would have loved to see him sooner or more often. He was sure he would meet him again. He knew to look for him now.

His eyes darted to the book on his nightstand: Casino Royal. And even though he already owned a very special copy, this one would be even more special. The first one had given him a goal in life. This one had given him back his father.

And on that thought he finally drifted off to sleep.

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**A/N: Thanks for reading. Feel free to let me know what your thoughts were. :) I will post chapter 2 tomorrow.  
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	2. Beckett's POV

**NOTE: post-ep fic for 5x15 ("Target") and 5x16 ("Hunt"). HUGE SPOILERS for those eps in specific and season 5 in general, as well as a reference to 4x16 "Linchpin".**

**A/N: And here's part 2. Aren't you glad I didn't make you wait a week? ;-)**

**Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.**

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**Chapter 2: Beckett's POV**

It had been a week since Castle had returned with Alexis and she had decided she would spend a quiet evening at home, alone. A hot bath was just what she needed right now. So she had said goodbye at the precinct, leaving him standing there, watching her go, almost pouting about not being allowed to join her. He really had missed her, when he was in Paris. She could tell by the way he hovered slightly more than normal and the fact that she hadn't had a minute alone since he came back. Not that she minded much. She had missed him too, a lot. Worrying about him doing dangerous things over there, like probably setting himself up to be killed hadn't helped either, so when he had returned, she had tried to be casual about it, but she hadn't been able to stop herself from almost running into his arms, begging would he please never do that again without her and then, as he agreed, finally, kiss him. It had felt so good to have him back. Never before had she longed for someone so badly. Sophia had been so wrong. She would never get enough of this man.

There was one thing Sophia hadn't lied about, though. Hidden in all her lies had been the truth about his father, known to him only as Jackson Hunt. Jackson Hunt. Who would come up with a cover name that obviously fake? Apparently, Rick's creativity came from his mother.

She was happy for Rick, though. He had gotten a chance to meet the father he had never known. And maybe he'd get a chance to get to know him better. At least he knew he was out there now. There had been the shortest of flashes of jealousy when he told her he had met his father. It made her think of how she would never be able to meet her mother again. But the happiness he so clearly felt made her jealousy disappear like ice melting in the sun. She was truly happy for him. And though she should have been used to that by now, it surprised her a bit that she could feel so much for a guy.

But what a guy it was. Sure, she'd been angry when he had basically lied to her to go find Alexis, but she also respected him for it. At least he meant what he said. He would spare no cost and there was nothing he wouldn't do for those he loved. It was terrifying in a way to know he considered her part of that group. Terrifying, yet comforting. She knew he would never let anything happen to her. It made her feel safe; safer than she had felt in years.

Then, when he hadn't answered her phone calls, she had been upset, which turned into worry when he finally did pick up only to be cut off very abruptly. Especially since she thought she heard a shot rang out just before the line went dead. Thankfully she was able to reach him again a bit later, courtesy of his spying father who had been tracking him that way. She had felt relieved that everything seemed to be ok up to that point. She was not happy about him going for the guys that took Alexis, but she could hardly blame him. She would have done the same if it had been him. She was no longer afraid to admit that to herself. Maybe it was time to admit it to him as well.

She got out of the bath, quickly toweled herself off and, still naked, walked into her bedroom. There, she grabbed a shirt from Rick's drawer and put it on. Ok, so technically, that was not why he had his own drawer there, but it sure came in handy in moments like these. She picked up her phone from her nightstand as she sat down on her bed against the headboard. She hit speed dial #1 and it hadn't even rung a second time when Castle answered. She smiled. He had been waiting for her call.

"Hey. I wanted to tell you something."

"Need me to come over? Because I can be there in 10 minutes", he said.

"Yes please."

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**A/N: Thanks so much for reading. I really appreciate those taking the time and making the effort to review and/or favor and follow my story or me.  
**

**Edited to add: It's been pointed out to me that the ending could have been better and I agree. I just had trouble coming up with another way, but I've decided to give it another go. I changed this ending and will write a third chapter, which will hopefully be better. Sorry for all the edits.  
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	3. Together

**REMEMBER:** **post-ep fic for 5x15 ("Target") and 5x16 ("Hunt"). HUGE SPOILERS for those eps in specific and season 5 in general.**

**A/N: Ok, I guess I needed another chapter. I hope this one will be better. I upgraded the rating to T, just in case, but nothing really happens.  
**

**Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine.**

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**Chapter 3: Together**

She had thought she would feel nervous, but instead, she felt more secure than ever, knowing what she did.

The nine minutes it took him to get there took too long, even if he scraped a full minute off the promised travel time.

Still only wearing his shirt, she opened the door when she heard him knock. She smiled at him as he stood there on her doorstep, still panting from running up the stairs because he didn't want to wait for the elevator.

"Hi, come in."

She stepped aside to let him in.

He tried to kiss her casually as he passed her, but she wouldn't have that. She immediately pulled him against her and returned the kiss with fervor until she could tell he almost ran out of breath.

When she let go, it took a moment before Castle had collected himself.

"Wow. What was that for?"

"I just felt like it."

"Oh."

It was fun to make this Man-of-Words speechless. Her kisses never failed to have that effect on him. She smiled.

"Come on. You want a drink?"

"Uh… sure", he said as he followed her into the kitchen.

She got out a bottle of wine and two glasses and made for the couch in the living area. She poured their drinks and sat down, handing the second glass to Castle who had taken seat on the couch already.

Castle remembered why he was there.

"So, you wanted to tell me something?"

"Yup, that's correct." Kate decided she would play a bit with him first.

She offered no more information as to what she was planning on telling him. As he was waiting for an explanation, Castle noted what she was wearing: his shirt; and nothing else. His breath hitched.

"What?" Kate asked, keeping up with the games, where she had perfectly known what the hitch was about. She had seen his eyes roving over her body and loved every minute of it.

Feeling caught, Castle tore his eyes away from her body and looked into her eyes.

"Nothing. I was just wondering if you had ulterior motives when you offered me your drawer. It seems everything I put in there is lost to me forever. Not that I don't like it on you, mind you. You look …"

His eyes darted back down and up again.

"… amazing." He smiled.

"Well, I've been told, I'm extra-ordinary. I figured I needed the wardrobe to go with it."

"It works for you."

"Thanks."

And suddenly, she could not wait any longer.

"Rick?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

Castle's eyes shot up to her face and his jaw dropped.

"Wha…. What did you just say?"

"I love you, Rick. I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you!" She almost shouted it now, smiling brightly and throwing herself into his arms.

He caught her and pushed her back a bit.

"Are you serious, Kate?"

"What does it look like, Rick? Of course I'm serious!"

And then his mouth was all over hers. He hugged her tightly as they kissed. When they came up for air, he smiled.

"I love you too, you know."

"I know. I knew I loved you before, as you must have known as well, but this whole mess last week made me realize it wasn't just the love for a friend. It's LOVE. L-O-V-E, all encompassing, I'll-never-let-you-go-again-love. And you deserved to know that as soon as I figured it out. Hence my phone call just now."

"I'm glad you feel that way, because that's exactly how I feel about you."

He kissed her again.

"I'm glad you called me over."

"I could tell. You were waiting by the phone, weren't you?"

He smiled sheepishly.

"I just can't seem to stand being without you anymore. Any minute I'm apart from you, I miss you. I don't know how I could have gone all the way across an ocean without you or even without letting you know. I'm so sorry for that."

"From now on, you're not even crossing the *street* without me, right?" she added with a chuckle. Then, more serious: "I know you are sorry. But it resulted in some good things, right? You got Alexis back, you met your dad and I realized I missed you more than I had ever expected. Don't worry about it anymore. Just take me with you next time, ok?"

"Actually, I'm hoping there won't be a next time."

"That would be better, yes", Kate smiled.

She nestled deeper into his arms and put her head on his shoulder.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

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**A/N: I hope this is more satisfying than my last try. :) I felt Kate may be a bit too playful, but I think she can be playful when she wants to be, so I left it that way. **

**This is an example where feedback has a direct result (in that I decided to rewrite). *hint* :)**

**Thank you for reading. This really is the end. :)  
**


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